The Dilemma
Both hotels sit on Birmingham's southern edge. Both are a world away from the city centre. But they serve fundamentally different travellers, and booking the wrong one will leave you frustrated from the moment you arrive.
The Premier Inn Birmingham South (Longbridge Station) is a retail park hotel done honestly well. Flat pavement to the train station, under-£10 parking, Sainsbury's one minute away. Functional, predictable, and well-priced.
The Old Rose & Crown Hotel is a Victorian heritage building on the pastoral fringe of the city, surrounded by woodland, with an on-site golf course and the Lickey Hills on its doorstep. It feels like a countryside retreat. It costs a little more. And if you arrive without a car, you are in trouble.
One is an efficient suburban base. The other is a genuine rural escape. The question is which one you actually need.
The Arrival Reality
Premier Inn Birmingham South: Friction-Free from Every DirectionArriving at the Premier Inn Longbridge is a masterclass in removing arrival stress. There are no one-way systems, no bus gate cameras, no satnav traps. The approach from any direction is straightforward and well-lit.
By Train: Longbridge station is a nine-minute walk on entirely flat, smooth pavement. No hills, no steps, no awkward road crossings. With a heavy roller bag, a pushchair, or mobility challenges, this walk is genuinely manageable. Set off at a comfortable pace and you are at the platform with time to spare. From the station, a taxi takes approximately three minutes.
By Car: On-site paid parking at under £10 per 24 hours, and the hotel sits outside Birmingham's Clean Air Zone, no additional daily charge for non-compliant vehicles. Drive in, park, done. This is one of the most friction-free hotel car arrivals in the Birmingham area. At the time of a recent research visit, scaffolding and active construction work on adjacent buildings were partially obscuring the hotel entrance from a distance, so allow a little extra time for orientation if arriving during active construction.
By Bus: The coach stop at Longbridge Lane / Longbridge Station (Stop LH) is a six-minute walk from the hotel, giving reasonable access for those arriving by regional bus without a car.
The Caveat: Once you are checked in, the retail park environment closes down after 8pm. There is no late bar to wander to, no evening animation. The arrival is easy. The evening, if you are looking for one, requires a taxi.
Old Rose & Crown: Perfect for Drivers, Difficult for Everyone ElseThe Old Rose & Crown is clearly designed around car arrival, and it handles that well, up to a point. The entrance off Rose Hill is wide and unmissable. Taxis can drop directly outside. The approach is flat and smooth.
The Parking Complication: The car park is shared with the on-site golf club, and it has been observed looking nearly full during a recent visit. There is no signage distinguishing hotel guest spaces from golf member parking. The practical advice is to stop at reception first, unload your luggage, and then drive to find a space, attempting to haul bags across a busy shared car park from a distant space is avoidable friction.
By Train or Bus: Not a realistic option. There is no nearby rail station within walking distance, and the hotel's outer-residential setting means bus connections are workable only for those with significant patience and no luggage. If you are arriving by train into Birmingham city centre, a taxi to the hotel is the practical answer, and that is a meaningful additional cost.
The Arrival Winner: Premier Inn. The flat nine-minute walk from Longbridge station and the straightforward on-site parking at under £10 make it the easier arrival for the majority of guests. The Old Rose & Crown rewards those who arrive by car and read the parking briefing in advance.
The Location Trade-Off
Premier Inn Birmingham South, Retail Park Practicality:
- Nine-minute flat walk to Longbridge station and Birmingham's cross-city rail network
- Sainsbury's one minute from the entrance, unbeatable for self-catering convenience
- Birmingham South Beefeater four minutes on foot for dinner without a taxi
- Austin Park and the River Rea Trail both five minutes away for fresh air
- Outside the Clean Air Zone, no daily charge for non-compliant vehicles
- Coach stop six minutes on foot, accessible without a car
- Anonymous retail park feel, no character, no charm, no surprises
- City centre bars, restaurants, and culture require a taxi or 20-30 minute train journey
Old Rose & Crown, Countryside Fringe:
- Victorian heritage building with genuine character, cannot be replicated by a chain
- Woodland with footpaths directly across the road, reachable in under two minutes
- Lickey Hills Country Park very close by, exceptional for walkers and dog owners
- On-site golf course, the only hotel in this area where you can play and sleep without moving the car
- Duckpond Café one minute away for morning coffee
- No train station within walking distance, a car is essential
- Nearest grocery run requires an 11-minute walk
- City centre is inaccessible without transport
Location Winner: Depends entirely on your priorities. For train access and everyday convenience, Premier Inn wins. For countryside feel, heritage character, and outdoor space, Old Rose & Crown wins decisively.
The Parking Reality
Premier Inn Birmingham SouthOn-site paid parking at under £10 per 24 hours. No bus gates, no one-way nightmares, no CAZ charge on top. For a hotel in the Birmingham area, this is genuinely exceptional value. The approach is straightforward, the car park is clearly associated with the hotel, and there is no ambiguity about where to leave your car. At peak retail hours, the surrounding area can be busy, but hotel parking itself is dedicated and straightforward.
Old Rose & CrownFree parking on site, approximately 150 spaces shared with the golf club. Free is better than under £10, but the shared arrangement introduces real complications. At weekends and during golf events, the car park can be seen looking nearly full. There is no signage separating hotel guest spaces from golf member parking. The walk from a distant parking space to the hotel entrance, with luggage, is an unnecessary friction point that a simple drop-off-first strategy resolves.
Parking Winner: Old Rose & Crown on pure cost (free vs. under £10), but with the important caveat that the shared arrangement requires planning. Premier Inn is simpler and more predictable.
The Price Reality
The Premier Inn sits at the budget (£) price point, exactly what you would expect from the brand, and exactly what the retail park location warrants. The Old Rose & Crown sits at the mid-range (££) level, reflecting its heritage character, free parking, and countryside setting.
In practice, the cost difference can close quickly. Premier Inn's parking costs under £10 per night; the Old Rose & Crown's parking is free. If you are driving and staying two or more nights, that difference narrows the headline rate gap considerably. Add a taxi from the Old Rose & Crown to Birmingham city centre and back (which is likely for any evening out), and the Premier Inn's cheaper nightly rate combined with walkable train access can actually work out cheaper overall.
Price Winner: Premier Inn on headline rate. Old Rose & Crown partially offsets with free parking, but taxi costs can tip the balance back.
The Use-Case Verdicts
For Dog OwnersWinner: Old Rose & Crown
This is not a competition. Woodland with footpaths begins directly across the road from the Old Rose & Crown within a two-minute walk, and the Lickey Hills Country Park is very close by for longer routes. The Premier Inn's Austin Park at five minutes is decent, but it cannot match the countryside access that makes the Old Rose & Crown genuinely exceptional for guests travelling with dogs.
For a Romantic WeekendWinner: Old Rose & Crown
The Victorian heritage building, the countryside surroundings, the on-site golf, and the woodland walks create the kind of atmosphere that chain hotels spend millions trying to manufacture. The Premier Inn is a retail park hotel, functional, clean, and entirely devoid of romance. If a romantic weekend is the reason for the trip, the Old Rose & Crown is the only credible choice between these two.
For GolfersWinner: Old Rose & Crown
The golf course is on site. Play, return to the hotel, eat, sleep, repeat, without touching the car. No other combination of location, convenience, and heritage character matches this in Birmingham's south-west corridor. If golf is the purpose of the visit, the decision is made.
For FamiliesWinner: Premier Inn
The flat, pushchair-friendly pavements, Sainsbury's one minute from the door, Austin Park five minutes away, on-site parking at under £10 per day, and the Birmingham South Beefeater four minutes on foot for a family dinner make the Premier Inn a genuinely strong family base. The Old Rose & Crown's limited nearby food options and the need for a car to reach most Birmingham family attractions make it the less practical choice for families with young children.
For Business TravellersWinner: Premier Inn
Longbridge station nine minutes on foot gives access to Birmingham's entire cross-city rail network, making the Premier Inn a workable base for anyone whose business takes them into the city centre or beyond. The Old Rose & Crown has no practical train access and sits in an outer-residential area, a poor fit for anyone needing regular city centre access or early departures from Birmingham New Street.
For Walkers and Outdoor EnthusiastsWinner: Old Rose & Crown
The River Rea Trail at five minutes from the Premier Inn is a reasonable option, but it does not compare to the woodland paths across the road from the Old Rose & Crown and the nearby Lickey Hills Country Park. For guests whose main purpose is walking, hiking, or simply being surrounded by nature, the Old Rose & Crown's location is vastly superior.
For Drivers on Extended StaysWinner: Premier Inn
Under £10 per 24 hours for on-site parking, outside the Clean Air Zone, with a dedicated hotel car park and no shared-use complications. For anyone on a multi-night stay who needs reliable, predictable parking every day, the Premier Inn's arrangement is simpler and more dependable than the Old Rose & Crown's shared-with-golf-club situation.
For Quiet SeekersWinner: Old Rose & Crown
Both hotels are quiet by Birmingham standards, but the Old Rose & Crown's pastoral fringe setting, with birdsong and light traffic on Rose Hill, is in a different category from the Premier Inn's retail park background noise. After dark, the area around the Old Rose & Crown becomes genuinely deserted and peaceful, the Premier Inn is quiet too, but it still sits in a commercial corridor.
The Hero Verdict
These two hotels are geographically close but experientially miles apart. They serve different travellers almost entirely, and the overlap between them is narrow. The decision should be simple once you know what you actually need from your stay.
The Premier Inn is the tool: predictable, well-priced, practically located for anyone using the train or needing straightforward parking. It will not surprise you with charm, but it will not let you down either. The Old Rose & Crown is the experience: a Victorian heritage building in a genuinely pastoral setting, with the kind of outdoor access that city-centre hotels cannot replicate. It rewards guests who arrive by car, want fresh air on their doorstep, and do not need the city to come to them.
Book Premier Inn Birmingham South (Longbridge Station) if:
- You are travelling by train and need straightforward access to Longbridge station nine minutes on foot
- You want predictable, dedicated on-site parking at under £10 per 24 hours
- You are visiting Birmingham city centre and want a cost-effective base with train connectivity
- You are travelling with a family and need pushchair-friendly pavements and a supermarket one minute away
- You want a reliable chain hotel experience with no surprises
- You need to be outside the Clean Air Zone to avoid additional daily charges
- You are on a multi-night stay and want parking that is simple and dedicated every day
Book Old Rose & Crown Hotel if:
- You are arriving by car and want free parking with approximately 150 spaces on site
- You are here for a romantic weekend and want a Victorian heritage building with countryside character
- You are a golfer, the course is on site and you can play without moving the car
- You are travelling with a dog and want woodland walks directly across the road and the Lickey Hills close by
- You are a walker or outdoor enthusiast who wants nature on the doorstep rather than a retail park
- You want genuine quiet, birdsong and deserted streets rather than background traffic noise
- You specifically want to escape the city and feel rural, even within Birmingham's boundary
The Bottom Line: The Premier Inn is what it says it is, an honest, well-run suburban base with excellent train access and cheap parking. The Old Rose & Crown is something rarer in Birmingham: a heritage hotel that genuinely feels like a country retreat. Choose based on whether you need to get somewhere or get away from it all.
